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Australia George V

1918-M Threepence

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The 1918-M threepence is one of the more common dates in the George V threepence series particularly in high grade. With the end of World War I came major economic problems. The war debt paired with mass unemployment brought about by our diggers being repatriated saw Australia for the first time consider debasing our silver currency to a proposed.500 silver standard. Although this never eventuated, it fueled the problem by causing the public to begin hoarding silver currency. The threepence was the most commonly hoarded coin - given its low face value most of the population could afford the piece accounting for its relative abundance in top grades. Other than the numerous bullion hoards surfacing from the period, at least one high grade hoard of 1918-M threepence has entered the market with pieces grading at the MS65-66 level, a grade almost unheard of for almost any other Australian coin of this era. All 1918 threepence feature an M mintmark underneath the date on the reverse signifying the piece was struck at the Melbourne mint.

M mintmark of a 1918-M threepence

Like most years of this era, the Melbourne mint also produced a four coin specimen set to retain within the mint archives. In addition to the specimen coin within this set, the Melbourne mint also produced a trial strike of the coin struck from a defaced reverse die.